Biobanking and Correlative Sciences Core
Mission of the Core
The purpose of the Biobanking and Correlative Sciences (BCS) Core is to collect and store high-quality, well-annotated specimens and to distribute these specimens and data for research use.
The Biobanking and Correlative Sciences Core is supported, in part, by NIH Center grant P30 CA022453 to the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University.
Biobank - Research Focus
Lab Services
- Unstained Paraffin Sectioning
- Frozen tissue sectioning
- H&E staining of pre-cut tissues
- Tissue Curls
- Tissue Paraffin Embedding
- Construction of sub blocks
- Low volume DNA and RNA isolation
- Construction of tissue microarray
- Immunohistochemistry
- List of BCS Core optimized antibodies (link to excel file)
- Cutting slides for TMAs
- Authenticated Cell Lines
- shRNA constructs
Biobank
- The Biobank houses plasma, PBMCs, RNA, and tissue (frozen and FFPE) for researchers with IRB approval from a variety of cancer types including solid tumor and malignant hematology. Samples are from patients at Karmanos Cancer Institute and our McLaren community partners with many rare tumor types and minority samples.
- To search the available specimens, please click here.
- For more information about samples in the biobank or their use, please contact Julie Boerner at boernerj@karmanos.org.
Pricing
For pricing, please see the Biobanking and Correlative Sciences Core IdeaElan website here.
Clinical Studies
The BCS Core currently supports more than 200 active clinical trials at Karmanos Cancer Institute. Contact Payal Pradhan (pradhanp@karmanos.org) for questions regarding fresh tissue collection and Anna Bernard (bernarda@karmanos.org) for questions regarding archive tissue collection.
Biobank - Patient Focus
Karmanos researchers are dedicated to learning more about cancer to improve diagnosis, treatments and preventative care for patients. Much of this research is done using human biospecimens such as blood, discarded tissue, or bone marrow.
Using these samples, researchers are able to study how genes affect cancer growth and response to treatment. This research brings us closer to the development of new drugs or tests for the diagnosis and treatment of different cancers and diseases. By participating in this protocol you will be making a valuable contribution to the future cancer care.
Eligibility
All patients seen at Karmanos and McLaren Health Care Corporation will be eligible to participate.
How to Participate
If you choose to participate in contributing to Karmanos’ Biobank, you will be given a consent form during the office visit with your physician. This form contains more information about the Biobank and at this time you will have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. You will be required to sign the consent form giving Karmanos your informed consent for participation in the Biobank.
If you have any questions or concerns at a later date, please call the Biobank at 313-576-9794 and ask speak to one of our Biobank consenters. They will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with more information.
- At your next scheduled laboratory visit, you may donate extra tubes of blood (no more than 2 tsp) that will be collected by Biobank staff and processed for storage
- If you have surgery and there is any tissue removed that is not needed for diagnosis and future treatment, the Biobank staff will collect and process the tissue for storage.
- If you have bone marrow collected for a clinical procedure, an extra tube (1 tsp) may be collected by the Biobank staff and processed for storage.
This is a completely voluntary study. Your physicians will not be told about your participation unless you choose to tell them and will not affect the care you receive at Karmanos.
Cost
There is no cost to the patient and patients will not be paid for participating.
Privacy
None of the samples you give to the Biobank are stored with your name, address, birth date, Karmanos patient number or Social Security number. Your personal information will not be provided to anyone. We may ask for your permission to use information about your care (what type of treatment was used and how you responded to treatment). However, this information will never be associated with your name or personal information. In addition, your samples will be stored in a locked room in a locked storage unit and/or freezer. The samples will be labeled with a random set of numbers that will not contain any personal information.
Withdrawal Procedure
At any time if you would like to withdraw your permission to use your tissue please call the phone number in your copy of the consent form and we will destroy all blood, tissue and/or bone marrow samples immediately.
FAQs
Will I need an extra blood draw or will more tissue be removed during surgery if I consent to this program?
No. We will obtain extra tubes of blood at your next scheduled blood draw. We will use tissue only if there is any extra beyond what the doctors need (which is normally discarded).
Will my samples be stored in a safe location?
Yes. Your samples will be stored in a locked room in a locked storage unit. The samples will be labeled with a random set of numbers that will not contain any personal information.
Will my name and personal information be provided to researchers using my samples?
No. Your personal information will not be provided to anyone. We may ask your permission to use information about your care (what type of treatment was used and how you responded to treatment) but it will never be associated with your name.
If I decide not to participate in this program, will I get the same care from my physicians?
Yes. This is a completely optional study. Your physicians will not be informed of your participation unless you choose to tell them.
How does my participation in the biobank help research?
Biospecimens help researchers discover new and better ways to treat cancer. Your specimens will give them the opportunity to study your cancer as well as that of others to make this progress in the development of cancer care.
Biobank Projects & Research
Precision Medicine Initiative
Karmanos physicians and researchers are helping guide the development of standards for tumor profiling and research protocols. Through this initiative, the Biobanking and Correlative Sciences Core is working with our patients tumor samples to help provide patients with new therapies to save and improve their quality of life.
Request Services
Contact
Julie Boerner, Ph.D.
Director, Biobanking and Correlative Sciences Core
boernerj@karmanos.org